Sick of political text messages? Here’s how to stop them

Alix Martichoux
·2 min read

(NEXSTAR) – It’s that time of year again. Election season is well underway, as local, state and big-time politicians clamor for your vote in the primaries and come November. Lately, that means less door knocking and more text messages.

Candidates and causes you didn’t even know had your phone number may be blowing up your phone asking for your vote or your money. Campaign phone calls and text messages are exempt from the federal Do Not Call list, so getting on the registry won’t help you turn down the noise. (However, political campaigns do need to follow certain FCC restrictions when reaching out.)

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Fortunately, there is any easy way to stop the unwanted political text messages. Legitimate text campaign operators should remove you from the list if you just reply “STOP,” the FCC says.

In addition to opting out, you can also report messages that you didn’t sign up to receive as spam. The FCC asks you forward them to 7726. You can also file a complaint online.

Of course, the above steps only work when it comes to barring legitimate text campaigns from reaching out to you. Scammers are a bit harder to stop. It’s like when you put up a “no trespassing” sign on your property, explained Alex Quilici, CEO of call blocking service YouMail.

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“The good guys aren’t going to trespass on your property, and the guy who’s going to burglarize it doesn’t care. We see the exact same thing with the robo-callers and the Do Not Call list. The good guys – like your credit card company – they’re not going to tele-market to you … but the scammers are trying to steal from you.”

Legitimate companies that violate the rules can face a fine of more than $50,000 per call, according to the FTC.

If you’re looking for another option to reduce the clutter in your text inbox, CNET suggests changing your phone settings to filter out all unknown senders. On the downside, you might end up missing text reminders for doctor’s appointments or restaurant reservations.

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